Communication Barriers
Ineffective communication can lead to errors, misunderstanding, poor performance, lower motivation and morale, negative feelings in the workplace and many other issues that may detract from achieving organisational goals. It is, therefore, important to try to minimize barriers to effective and efficient communication: communication barriers distort or interrupt the message and its meaning
Organizational Communication
Communication in an organisation may be used to influence, inform, control or inspire. Organisational communication can be divided into two broad categories - formal or structured (within the 'systems' established by management) and informal (as when co-workers chat about company matters). Both areas are significant and both need to be 'healthy' for the organisation to be healthy.
Formal Communication Channels and Networks
Formal communication channels follow the organisational structure or hierarchy and flow in four directions:
These four directions in which communication can travel are: downward; upward; lateral or horizontal; and diagonal.
Formal communication networks also occur within the hierarchy of the organisation and reflect how groups of employees, for example those in a department, work together. Networking or mapping the flow of communication in an organisation can be a useful device. This can identify who is communicating with whom and whether the lines of communication are effective and efficient, or whether there is potential for destructive conflict or tension arising from the communication channels (for example, inappropriate diagonal communication).
Formal Communication: Problems and Solutions
Many communication problems arise from the structure of the organisation. Dwyer mentions three related organisational factors: centralisation; the creation of too many organisational layers; and the structure of the organisation. Other factors may include downsizing which leads to ambiguous reporting structure and poor leadership. Many of these problems may be overcome by: analysing the organisation structure and communication networks for barriers to effectiveness and efficiency
ensuring downsizing is well planned and the 'survivors' (those left in the organisation) understand the impact of the process on communication networks and procedures recruiting for competent communication, particularly when recruiting for leadership roles.
Informal Communication
Informal organisational communication exists outside the formal lines of the organisational structure. An example of this is friendship groups. The informal communication channel serves two main purposes: it permits employees to satisfy their need for social interaction in the workplace and it can improve an organisation's performance by creating alternative, and frequently faster and more efficient, channels of communication.
One of the most common forms of informal communication is 'the grapevine'. According to Kreitner and Kinicki (1995) the term grapevine originated from the American Civil War practice of stringing battlefield telegraph lines between trees as a means of efficient communication. Now it supplements the formal channels of communication.
Ineffective communication can lead to errors, misunderstanding, poor performance, lower motivation and morale, negative feelings in the workplace and many other issues that may detract from achieving organisational goals. It is, therefore, important to try to minimize barriers to effective and efficient communication: communication barriers distort or interrupt the message and its meaning
Organizational Communication
Communication in an organisation may be used to influence, inform, control or inspire. Organisational communication can be divided into two broad categories - formal or structured (within the 'systems' established by management) and informal (as when co-workers chat about company matters). Both areas are significant and both need to be 'healthy' for the organisation to be healthy.
Formal Communication Channels and Networks
Formal communication channels follow the organisational structure or hierarchy and flow in four directions:
These four directions in which communication can travel are: downward; upward; lateral or horizontal; and diagonal.
- Downward communication involves communication from higher to lower levels so that leadership can communicate goals, strategies or role expectations.
- Upward communication flows from lower levels to higher levels of the organisation, for example, when there is a need to communicate problems, results or suggestions.
- Horizontal communication occurs across the same level and involves for example, coordination of activities with peers (teams, committees), dissemination of useful information from one department to another (for example sales forecasts from the sales department to production, and problems such as a problem with product design from the production department to research and development). Horizontal communication facilitates the l inking of different areas of expertise and this may encourage innovation.
- Diagonal channels may potentially cause conflict as they involve communication between the lower level of one department to a higher level in another. In the diagram above, this may cause friction between the employee in accounting department C and the Vice-President (VP) of Accounting as the employee has gone around his or her own superior. Nevertheless this type of communication may be useful as it may simply be information relevant to the Marketing Department and the VP Accounting does not need to be involved.
Formal communication networks also occur within the hierarchy of the organisation and reflect how groups of employees, for example those in a department, work together. Networking or mapping the flow of communication in an organisation can be a useful device. This can identify who is communicating with whom and whether the lines of communication are effective and efficient, or whether there is potential for destructive conflict or tension arising from the communication channels (for example, inappropriate diagonal communication).
Formal Communication: Problems and Solutions
Many communication problems arise from the structure of the organisation. Dwyer mentions three related organisational factors: centralisation; the creation of too many organisational layers; and the structure of the organisation. Other factors may include downsizing which leads to ambiguous reporting structure and poor leadership. Many of these problems may be overcome by: analysing the organisation structure and communication networks for barriers to effectiveness and efficiency
ensuring downsizing is well planned and the 'survivors' (those left in the organisation) understand the impact of the process on communication networks and procedures recruiting for competent communication, particularly when recruiting for leadership roles.
Informal Communication
Informal organisational communication exists outside the formal lines of the organisational structure. An example of this is friendship groups. The informal communication channel serves two main purposes: it permits employees to satisfy their need for social interaction in the workplace and it can improve an organisation's performance by creating alternative, and frequently faster and more efficient, channels of communication.
One of the most common forms of informal communication is 'the grapevine'. According to Kreitner and Kinicki (1995) the term grapevine originated from the American Civil War practice of stringing battlefield telegraph lines between trees as a means of efficient communication. Now it supplements the formal channels of communication.